Gas industry terms

Absolute pressure Pressure referred to zero pressure or vacuum, as opposed to gauge pressure.
AOD Argon–oxygen decarburisation: a process involving blowing argon and oxygen through a ladle of molten iron. It is applied to
reduce the carbon content of steel.
APU Argon purifier unit: typically used to describe units which heat argon to a few hundred °C and pass it over a supported copper
reducing agent, where oxygen contamination is eliminated.
ASU Air separation unit: normally a cryogenic plant for separating the principal constituents of air, i.e. nitrogen, oxygen and argon.
Atmosphere In the gas industry atmosphere can denote any gas-filled space, such as the inside of a furnace, as well as the ambient
air atmosphere.
Bar, bara, barg The principal modern unit of pressure measurement in industry. The earth’s atmosphere exerts an average pressure
of 1.013 25 bar at sea level. Bar(a) or Bara means pressure referred to zero pressure (vacuum). Bar(g) or Barg means pressure
referred to (local) atmospheric pressure. 1 bar = 14.5 psi.
Blanket A gas blanket typically refers to a volume of inert gas that shields a sensitive part of a process from damage caused by air.
Bursting disc A safety relief valve consisting of a thin stainless steel diaphragm, obtainable in various thicknesses that rupture at
different specified pressures.
Carbide Calcium carbide is reacted with water to make acetylene.
CFC Chlorofluorocarbon.
Coal gas The gas produced by the pyrolysis of coal.
Compressed gas A generally recognised legal term for any compound which exerts a pressure of more than 0.5 barg on its container
at room temperature.
Cryogen Any liquid boiling below c. 110 K.
Decant A technique for delivering gases compressed in bulk in which a set of cylinders on the delivery vehicle are allowed to
equilibriate in pressure with the user’s bank of cylinders.
Dewar A small (less than 2001) vacuum-insulated vessel for storage of cryogenic liquids at low pressure.
Dip-tube A tube, typically of plastic, copper or mild steel, running from the valve at the top of a gas cylinder to the bottom. A dip-
tube can help with the mixing of compressed mixtures during the filling process. It also enables the user to withdraw liquid from the
bottom of a gas liquefied by the cylinder pressure without turning the cylinder upside down.
Doping gas A gas, typically a hydride or organic derivative of an atom from Group III or Group V of the Periodic Table, which is used
to add controlled amounts of those atoms to a semiconductor to render it suitably electrically conductive.
Filling ratio Used in fixing the maximum fill of gas cylinders, this is the number of kilograms of gas added divided by the cylinder
volume in litres.
Flashback flame arrestor A device to prevent propagation of a flame backwards down a gas pipeline from the burner and towards
the gas source.
Gauge pressure Pressure referred to ideal atmospheric pressure, 101 325 pascals, or about 15 psia.
Goose-neck eductor A small dip-tube enabling liquid or gas withdrawal, depending on orientation, from a compressed gas cylinder
that is held in the horizontal attitude.
GWP Global warming potential: the capacity, relative to of a gas for causing global warming via the infrared greenhouse effect.
HCFC Hydrochlorofluorocarbon.
HFC Hydrofluorocarbon.
Kieselguhr The porous silica material (the fossilised remains of microscopic diatoms) used to absorb acetone in acetylene cylinders.
LC50 The concentration by volume of gas in air that will cause the death within 14 days of 50% of a batch of male and female 200–
300 g rats after 1 h continuous inhalation.
LN/LIN Liquid nitrogen.
LO/LOX Liquid oxygen.
LPG Liquefied petroleum gas: covers both commercial propane and butane and mixtures of these.
MAP Modified atmosphere packaging: replacement of air in food packaging with a more suitable mixture of harmless gases.
MAPP Methyl acetylene propadiene: a vaporisable liquid used to augment flame temperature and flame emissivity of the lower
performing oxy-fuel mixtures.
MCP Manifolded cylinder package: typically 15 standard (c. 7 compressed gas cylinders mounted in a frame with a manifold giving
one outlet pipe weighing approximately 1 tonne.
Mercaptans A range of analogues of alcohols in which the –OH group is replaced by the –SH group. They have an exceedingly strong
smell and are typically added to heating gas in ppm quantities to enable people to smell gas leaks.
MIG welding Metal inert gas welding, electric arc welding in which a consumable electrode melts and is incorporated in the welded
joint. The inert gas prevents the incorporation of too much oxygen in the joint.
MMA Manual metal arc-welding with stick electrodes without the benefit of gas shielding. The industry standard gas unit (except
US), a cubic metre of gas at normal temperature and pressure.
ODP Ozone depletion potential: the amount by which a gas will cause ozone depletion in the stratosphere relative to freon-12.
OFN Oxygen-free nitrogen: a reasonably pure grade of nitrogen that has been filled into a preevacuated cylinder. In principle a
cylinder of nitrogen at 200 barg, filled on top of an ‘empty’ cylinder, actually containing 1 bar air, would contain 1000 vpm oxygen. In
fact ordinary nitrogen cylinders are rarely as impure as this.
Permanent gases Gases which cannot be liquefied by application of pressure at room temperature. H2, He, N2, O2 and Ar are the
common permanent gases.
Plug flow Occurs where gas A flows into a pipeline to displace gas B with a well-defined front, like a piston displacing gas.
ppm/vpm/ppb ppm = parts per million, usually by weight, vpm = parts per million by volume. The term ppm is often used carelessly,
when vpm is in fact meant. vpm is more useful in the sense that for gases the volume ratio is approximately a ratio of the number of
molecules and is a partial pressure ratio. ppb = parts per billion, i.e. parts per 1000 million.
PPU Prepurifier unit: typically used in connection with purifiers for air in cryogenic ASUs.
Producer gas A flammable mixture of and produced by the action of steam and air on coke or coal. It is common on large integrated
chemical plant. The air ensures that the reaction is exothermic and can be more or less continuous. However, the quality of the gas is
very poor with often over 60% consisting of nitrogen.
PSA Pressure swing absorbtion (see section 2.1.6).
psi, psia, psig Pounds per square inch, a unit of pressure still in common use in industry. psi(a) or psia is referred to vacuum. The
most common unit is psig, which is referred to local atmospheric pressure.
RHE Reversing heat exchangers: used to clean up air instead of PPUs for elimination of and which could block up cryogenic ASUs.
SCF Standard cubic foot: a cubic foot of gas at standard temperature and pressure (US standard unit of gas).
SIVL Super-insulated vacuum line: pipework for LN consisting of dual pipe with the annular space filled with evacuated silver-coated
Mylar insulation.
Snifting Venting a gas cylinder or gas line momentarily before connection. This ensures that any debris that has accumulated in the
valve outlet is ejected. It also checks that there is something in the cylinder. It is not recommended, however, for toxic, reactive or
inflammable gases.
Stenching The addition of small amounts of mercaptans or other smelly compounds to help people smell gas leaks.
TIG welding Tungsten inert gas welding, electric arc welding with a non-consumable electrode and an inert gas to prevent oxidation
of the tungsten and oxygen in the joint.
Town gas Town gas consists mainly of and CO. It is still in use in parts of the world where natural gas is expensive and coal is cheap.
Ullage The gas-filled space above the liquid level in a tank.
Vacced cylinder Preevacuated cylinder: a precaution ensuring the minimum contamination from air ingress.
VIE/VIT Vacuum-insulated evaporator/vacuum-insulated tank: a tank for cryogenic liquid storage. VIE refers to a high-pressure unit,
as these are used mainly for gaseous supply; VIT refers to a low-pressure unit.
Water gas A flammable mixture of and CO produced by passing water through hot coke. The reaction is endothermic and heat must
be supplied periodically, typically by interrupting the process while air is pumped in.
General terminology
Absolute temperature Temperature referred to the coldest temperature physically possible, normally measured in degrees Kelvin.
The Kelvin scale of absolute temperature has degrees the same size as the Centigrade scale. For example, 0°C, the freezing point of
water, is 273.16 K, whereas absolute zero is –273.16°C and 0 K.
Adiabatic A process involving no input or output of energy. For example, in the adiabatic expansion of a gas, the gas cools because
heat energy has not been supplied from the walls of its container.
Azeotropic mixture A mixture of liquids which when boiled yields a vapour mixture of the same composition, a constant boiling
mixture.
CFCs Chlorofluorcarbons: a special selection of the halocarbons. Most of these compounds are now implicated in the destruction of
stratospheric ozone and will now not be designed into new equipment or processes. Most processes will use alternative compounds
by 1995 or 2005 under the Montreal Protocol international directive and national directives.
Critical pressure The pressure above which a gas, no matter how compressed, will not form a liquid.
Critical temperature The temperatures above which a gas, no matter how compressed, will not form a liquid.
Differential pressure The difference in pressure between two points.
Dry ice Solid
Explosive limits (LEL, HEL) The upper and lower percentage by volume limits of a flammable mixture of a gas or vapour with air.
Below the lower explosive limit (LEL) the mixture is too weak (has too much air) to ignite. Above the higher explosive limit (HEL) the
mixture is too rich (has too much fuel) to ignite.
Flashback The propagation of a flame back down a pipe containing a mixture of fuel and oxidant. This is a dangerous condition,
normally avoided by keeping the fuel and oxidant separate until nearly at the burner and by fitting flashback arresters. These are
typically metal gauze filters which conduct heat away from a flame in the same manner as the gauze around the classic Davy miner’s
safety lamp.
Fusible plug Fitted to gas cylinders, these melt at a fairly low temperature (approximately 150°C) and release the contents of a gas
cylinder before the the cylinder walls rupture.
Gas constant This constant has the value (symbol R).
Halocarbon A compound of carbon with one or more of the halogens fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine.
Joule–Thompson effect The cooling effect seen in all gases below a certain temperature, when they are expanded at a constriction
from a high to a low pressure.
Latent heat The heat energy absorbed to make a solid melt or sublime, or make a liquid boil (latent heats of fusion, sublimation and
vaporization respectively).
Mole molecules.
Montreal protocol The international agreement which controls production and use of ozone depleting substances such as CFCs.
Noble gas The highly unreactive atomic gases of column 0 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, i.e. helium, neon, krypton, xenon,
radon.
NTP Normal temperature and pressure, i.e. 20°C and 1.013 25 bar.
OEL Occupational exposure limit: the concentration of an airborne substance, averaged over a reference period (8 h, or 15 min for
substances with acute effects), at which, according to current knowledge, there is no evidence that it is likely to be injurious to
employees if they are daily exposed by inhalation to that concentration (UK).
Pascal The scientific unit of pressure. Rarely used in industry.
Rare gas See noble gas.
Specific heat The heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 g of substance through 1 K. All gases have a specific heat of
between 2.5 and 3.5 times R, the gas constant. The specific heat at constant volume of a gas is alway R less than the specific heat at
constant pressure
Stoichiometric A stoichiometric mixture of A and B is one in which, when reaction occurs forming a compound such as AB or or
similar, no A or B is left over.
STP Standard temperature and pressure, i.e. 0°C and 1.013 25 bar.
TLV Threshold limit value: the maximum level of a gas to which people can be exposed on every working day (USA).
Triple point The triple point is the pressure and temperature at which vapour, liquid and solid can coexist in equilibrium.
Vapour pressure The vapour pressure of a substance is the pressure exerted, at equilibrium, of vapour in contact with that substance
in liquid or solid form, where the liquid, vapour and container are all at the same temperature.
Tradenames
Arcton Chlorofluorocarbons (ICI).
Argoshield Argon-based gas mix for MIG welding (BOC).
Astec Helium-based welding gas (Air Products).
Calor An important liquified petroleum gas trademark (Imperial Group).
Coogar Argon-based gas mix for MIG welding (Air Products).
Fomblin Perfluoropolyether oils and greases used with oxygen service and especially with lubricated vacuum pumps and equipment
(Montedison).
Freon The key trademark for chlorofluorocarbons (DuPont).
Helishield Helium-based welding gas (BOC).
Polygas Aerosol propellant system based on a microporous polymer, acetone and CO 2 (BOC/Polygas International).